Canadian actor Michael Mando plays Nacho in Better Call Saul, and his character died in Season 6 Episode 3 of the TV show titled Rock and Hard Place.
Better Call Saul is a highly acclaimed legal crime drama that premiered in 2015. It primarily focuses on Saul Goodman, a lawyer who defends all manner of criminals, including drug dealers. Michael Mando’s character, Nacho, is one of these criminals and works as a lieutenant in a drug cartel run by the Salamancas. He has a close relationship with his father, Manuel, and works to protect him against all odds. Michael Mando was able to expertly capture this criminal with a human heart and received praise for his work.
Who is Nacho the Better Saul Actor?
Michael Mando is the actor that portrayed Nacho in Better Call Saul. Though he famously portrays a Mexican-American drug dealer who speaks Spanish, Mando is neither Spanish, American, nor Mexican. Michael Mando is from Canada, specifically Quebec City, and was born on the 13th of July 1981.
He hails from a family of five and has one older brother and one younger brother. Mando and his siblings were raised by their dad, a chemist. The family moved around a lot while he was growing up, and before he hit his mid-20s, he had lived on more than four continents. This helped Michael Mando become multi-lingual, speaking French, Spanish, and English.
Michael Mando’s journey into acting was not a planned one. While studying psychology and international relations at a university located in Montreal, he decided to apply for a theater program at Dawson College, Quebec. He was not only accepted but went on to perform exceedingly well in the program for the three years he spent there.
By the time he left in 2007, he received glowing reviews from the chair of his department. These glowing reviews were not just empty praises, as Michael Mando soon went on to prove his talent in the acting world. He started out on TV series such as The Bridge and the Border as well as Orphan Black.
His work as a drug dealer named Vic in Orphan Black in 2012 and 2013 earned him award nods, and he soon landed on Better Call Saul, which premiered in 2015. In Better Call Saul, Michael Mando once more plays a drug dealer, but rather than being a bad person, he has a human heart and is aimed at protecting his father from any blowback or harm as a result of his career.
What is Michael Mando’s Age?
Michael Mando is 42 years old now. The Better Call Saul actor celebrates his birthday on the 13th of July each year and was born in 1981. At the time that Michael Mando was cast to portray Nacho in Better Call Saul in 2014, he was 33 years old. It, therefore, means that he was age appropriate for the role he portrayed.
Nacho is billed as a 30-year-old in Season 1, but by Season 3 Episode 6, he is now 31 years old. In Season 4, Episode 8, Nacho is 31 years old. Seasons 1 to 4 of Better Call Saul spanned 2015 to 2018. During this period, Michael Mando was between 34 to 37 in real life and so wasn’t much older than the character he portrayed. This may have ultimately contributed to his success.
Mando built Nacho into a character that was loved by fans. He also received good reviews from popular publications such as Vulture Magazine and The New York Times. Vulture hailed Nacho as Better Call Saul’s most compelling criminal and praised Mando for portraying the character with a mix of hubris and humanity not easily found among TV’s henchmen.
Was Michael Mando in Breaking Bad?
Michael Mando was not in Breaking Bad though his character Nacho was mentioned once in the crime drama, which led to the spinoff Better Call Saul. Better Call Saul serves as a prequel and also a sequel to Breaking Bad.
Breaking Bad focuses on an underpaid chemistry teacher, Walter White, who takes to producing and selling meth in order to raise money for his family in the wake of a terminal disease diagnosis. He and his pal soon get into legal troubles, and Saul Goodman serves as their lawyer.
Saul Goodman and some other characters from Breaking Bad now feature in the spin-off titled Better Call Saul. Nacho is one of those that make the crossover, but he did not appear in Breaking Bad. He was only mentioned in Season 2, Episode 8, titled Better Call Saul. Saul is attacked by the duo of Walter and his partner in business, Jesse.
Thinking that it was Lalo, the drug lord, who sent them, Saul mentions the name of Ignacio, i.e., Nacho, and tries to pin the blame on him for whatever they think that he, Saul, did wrong.
Did Nacho Die in Better Call Saul?
Nacho died in Season 6 Episode 3 of Better Call Saul. Nacho is caught between two drug cartels: working for the Salamanca while acting as a mole for Gus. He readies a plan to get himself and his dad out of the country if he is busted but is not so successful.
After an attempt to kill Lalo (belonging to the Salamanca group fails), the group close in on Nacho as Gus rats him out. Knowing that a horrible fate awaits him, Nacho secures a deal from the cartel to make sure that no harm comes to his beloved dad.
While bound and waiting to be killed, Nacho uses a glass to cut the tie around his hands. He takes the gun from one of his assailants and quickly shoots himself dead. His attackers also pump bullets into his lifeless body.
What Happened to Nacho in Better Call Saul?
Nacho committed suicide in Season 6 Episode 3 of Better Call Saul. He killed himself following an ambush by the Salamancas. Nacho bowed out of Better Call Saul with dignity, and actor Michael Mando received praise for his work. His ability to have that final phone call with his dad and then dare the Salamancas to do their worse was described as simply stunning.
TVline praised Mando for delivering a beautifully moving and emotional episode. Rolling Stone also praised him for ending things on his own terms despite the fact that
he was so tired and defeated at that point in the show, which marked his final appearance on the screens.
